The Films of 1970

Classic!

One of the first early gigs featuring Louis Gossett,Jr,this movie was Hal Ashby's directorial debut and it became one of the top ten films of 1970 and for a very good reason. This was also produced by Norman Jewison who also served as executive producer. This was a film that starred Beau Bridges in a excellent performance as a young man who buys a condemned building in a black ghetto in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn. The fine cast includes Lee Grant,the great Diana Sands,and also the dramatic debut of the great Pearl Bailey. With some great music from The Staple Singers makes this a joy to watch.

Who would have thought that Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones tried to launch a movie career? He did in a big way in 1970. In May of that year,he played the title role in "Ned Kelly" which was a hard-hitting serious and violent western set in the outback of Austraila and directed by Tony Richardson(which was a stretch),and in October of that year,he starred as rich overegotistical rock superstar Turner in Nicholas Roeg's
"Performance". James Fox,on the other hand,hasn't had much with a screen career that began in 1950 with MGM's The Miniver Story(when he was billed as Bill Fox)and ended 20 years later with this decadent and over-the-top British cult flick.

Once one of the most conspicious partygoers of the swinging 1960's,Fox gave up alcohol,became a born again Christian and a missionary,and a born again actor. Think about that when you see him in 1963's The Servant(whom he co-starred with Ruby Dee and James Mason),and 1986's Absolute Beginners!
Here,he's gangster Chas Devlin,complete with a juggler's wild orange wig and sunglasses,who's killed the wrong man and is hiding out in Turner's basement. Like many films of that era(that exploded onto the impact of British cimema during the mid-1960's and throughout the entire decade of the 1970's),The Scene is more important than the participants' past. Anita Pallenberg and Michele Breton are Pherber and Lucy,two women,along with Turner and Chas engage in bisexuality,sadistic violence,masochism and magic mushrooms. "Performance" at one time was difficult to find on video for a good many years since the only way this movie was ever shown was during midnight screenings at selected theatres or special showings on college campuses. "Performance" qualitifies as a quaint period piece for classes that study 20th Century cultures and customs. Nicholas Roeg made the timeless "Walkabout" with Jenny Agutter in Austraila the following year while the other director,Donald Cammell went on to make other films including "Demon Seed" with Julie Christie in 1977. Mick Jagger never did become a superstar in the movies but he did went on to make some fine films later on. Roeg,in 1976 brought British rocker David Bowie to the screen in "The Man Who Fell To Earth" in 1976. And in this film who knew that the lead singer for The Rolling Stones could possibly act?
He turns in a effective astounding role in his motion picture debut. Worth seeing.
If you think for a second Turner and Chas give Pherber and Lucy rough trade in this film,wait till you see what happens to real-life groupies backstage with the Stones:It's dead kinky and a little sad.

Spellbinding drama directed by William Friedkin. Excellent filmization of Matt Crowley's landmark play about nine men at a birthday party located somewhere in the upper side of New York City. It is a nice party,with one exception;eight of the men at the party are gay,the ninth insists that he is not. Often hilarious,frequently sad,but always thought provoking,and sensationally acted by the original stage cast. This was one of the greatest movies ever associated within the status of Queer Cimema and one of the top ten Queer movies of all time. Brilliant piece of work on this movie which stars Peter White, Leonard Frey, Cliff Gorman, Laurence Luckinbill,and Keith Prentice. Worth the wait to be finally seen,and not to be missed.